Today, we were honored to welcome a new neighbor to the block: Prince George’s County Police Department.

As the first police department in the greater Washington D.C. area to partner with Nextdoor, PGCPD is an example of innovative community policing.

“It allows us to work together more effectively to prevent crime and solve problems.”

PGCPD has long been dedicated to working closely with Prince George’s County residents. Through their Community Oriented Police Services program (COPS), PGCPD will connect individual police officers directly with the neighborhoods they serve through Nextdoor for Public Agencies.

“What Nextdoor allows us to do is speak directly to our communities,” Deputy Chief Stawinski said at the press conference announcing the partnership this morning. “And Nextdoor allows residents to connect directly with our officers. It allows us to work together more effectively to prevent crime and solve problems.”

Nextdoor has already proven to be a useful tool for Prince George’s County residents. Last October, one of the largest Nextdoor websites in Prince George County experienced a terrifying home invasion. Police were immediately called and the suspects took off on foot. Neighbors used Nextdoor diligently during the subsequent chase to communicate about the believed whereabouts of the suspects, the capture of one suspect, and the continued hunt for the second suspect. Later that evening, neighbors used Nextdoor to spread the word after it was reported that the second suspect was successfully captured and brought into custody.

We’re honored to welcome the Prince George’s County Police Department to Nextdoor – and to play a small role in helping neighborhoods across Prince George’s County become stronger and safer places to call home. From all of us at Nextdoor, welcome to the neighborhood!